Ready to Soar: Experienced Marauders prepared to take the next step

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Mt. Vernon head coach Ben Rhoades retracts during their game against Mooresville on Tuesday, Feb. 11, 2020. (Tom Russo | Daily Reporter)

FORTVILLE — Experience counts and so do the hard lessons learned along the way.

After what could be considered a season of development in 2019-20, the Mt. Vernon Marauders are eager to put their newfound knowledge to the test this winter, and it could mean a return to prominence.

Only two years removed from the program’s last Class 4A sectional title run, Mt. Vernon returns to the court in 2020-21 minus one starter, in graduated senior Ryan Morris, but what it gained following its 11-12 campaign a year ago was invaluable.

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“Last year, we had some guys who hadn’t played any varsity, so we kind of put them in the fire,” Mt. Vernon third-year head coach Ben Rhoades said. “For us to have three sophomores last year that averaged over eight points a game, I think that was pretty impressive on their part.”

What’s more indicative of their potential is precisely how the youthful Marauders responded to the unexpected, especially adversity.

At a competitive 2-2 on the season early last year, the Marauders were forced to quickly adapt when, then sophomore, Amhad Jarrard went down with a injury that cost him a handful of games.

Jarrard, now a 6-foot-4 junior guard, was leading the team in scoring at the time and provided a key piece to the Marauders’ offensive rhythm.

However, his absence, while negative, accelerated several players’ growth, even upon his return a few weeks later.

“The injury to Amhad really impacted us last year, but I will also say, I’m not sure if (Razhaun) Wells would have played as much as he did if Amhad wouldn’t have been hurt. And, I believe that it helped Armon (Jarrard) grow as a player, and I think Drew Walker and Cooper Galli both had to step up their game,” Rhoades said.

“You don’t want to say it’s good when anyone gets hurts, but I think maybe some of that, we might reap some of the rewards from what happened last year this year.”

The Marauders hinted at that projected progression in glimpses last season, winning three of their last five games, including a 79-65 victory over rival New Palestine at home in the regular season this past February.

Yet, their youthfulness was difficult to avoid in the postseason, losing to New Palestine, 59-40, in the sectional semifinals.

“I think, if we learned anything from that process, it’s they took that they had beaten them before for granted,” Rhoades said. “I don’t think they realized the intensity that New Pal was going to come at them with. There isn’t a night where you walk into a gym and the other team is just going to let you have their way with them.

“That’s a driving force for them because they were really upset by what happened by losing to a team that had beaten before, and a team that they knew was good and respected. That’s the maturity part of it, in my mind.”

With four former sophomores, now juniors in the starting five, and one senior in 6-2 guard Drew Walker (5.4 points per game), the Marauders are primed to compete, now and in the future.

Ahmad Jarrard, who is back at full strength, returns after averaging 10.7 ppg, along with his brother, Armon (12.2 ppg, 3.0 rebounds, 1.2 assists).

Ahmad averaged 4.7 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 1.2 steals per contest, and at less than 100 percent.

“He was never the same when he came back, and he was very frustrated by the whole situation. He wanted to play, but at the same time, I think we got some more growth out of some kids than we had,” Rhoades said.

Walker was just one example for the Marauders.

A first-year varsity player last season, Walker, Wells and Galli each were newly promoted contributors in full-time roles. The Jarrards, while getting limited varsity minutes as freshmen, had to adjust while on the job.

With familiarity comes confidence, Rhoades says, and the Marauders have both.

Wells, a 6-3 junior forward, averaged 8.3 ppg and 4.6 rpg, while Galli, a 6-3 junior guard, provided 4.0 ppg and 2.2 rpg as both a starter and a top-reserve player.

The loss of graduated senior guard Rickie Wedlow (3.2 ppg, 1.7 rpg) hurts, but bench depth will come from 5-11 junior guard Avery Williams, Jr., 6-2 sophomore guard Eli Bridenthal and 6-5 junior forward Cole Herman.

All three were part of the school’s sectional championship football team, which brings a winning mentality to the gym. Senior Chris Hays, a 6-0 forward, also carries a competitive fire after leading the boys tennis team to a sectional repeat this fall.

Senior Cameron Lusby, a 5-11 guard, will also be part of the Marauders’ bench mob.

“All five of those guys (in the starting lineup) played significant minutes for us last year, so what we’re really looking at now is who is going to piece in afterwards?,” Rhoades said. “It’s a journey. The whole season is really, and it really will be this year. Our goal every day is to have continuous improvement and get better and be playing the best we can when we get to the tournament.”

There won’t be any mystery to the roster’s formula, Rhoades says, as the program aims to be preemptive rather than reactive while contending with not only opponents but also the COVID-19 pandemic.

“This year, we’re only going to dress those 10 kids. I’m not going to try to mix JV and varsity this year,” Rhoades said. “Do you risk potentially quarantining your entire team if you have a JV kid that plays in a different game and gets impacted by trace contact? If so, then you have to quarantine everybody.

“We’re doing our best not to mix them. Maybe it’s the right thing to do, maybe it’s not? But, I’m taking the mentality of trying to keep everybody as healthy as long as possible.”

With trace contact quarantines already becoming an issue in basketball early this 2020-21 season, the Marauders are focusing on the controllable as much as possible but they expect the unexpected as well.

“I prepared everybody. There are going to be changes. Obviously, you watch the girls season for two weeks, and you can see that it’s going to happen, so I guess it’s part of the deal this year. It’s going to be, can you adapt? Can you be resilient? Can you do those things?,” Rhoades said.

“I can’t imagine we’re going to play all of our games in a row as planned, but I think we’ll be OK, and I think they’ll be some changes. But, if you have changes in basketball, it’s different than football. You can’t play three football games in a week. But, they play three AAU games on a given day.”

For the moment, the Marauders are taking it game by game, and for good reason. Mt. Vernon opens tonight at home against 4A Lawrence Central, which is ranked 12th in the IBCA’s Preseason Poll.

They will face No. 20 Fishers on Dec. 5 prior to opening Hoosier Heritage Conference play at home against Pendleton Heights on Dec. 11.

Mt. Vernon will also see No. 14 Westfield on Jan. 5 and No. 11 Hamilton Southeastern on Jan. 23, among others such as Avon, Noblesville and 3A Brebeuf Jesuit.

“We play a tough schedule, and I think a lot of our kids got a lot of good experience, and obviously, they want to improve on what they did over the last couple of years also,” Rhoades said. “We’ve been beaten by the sectional champion two years in a row, beat by good teams, good players and good coaches. But, I think all of our players are hungry and ready to take that next step.”

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DATE;OPPONENT;TIME

Nov. 24;Lawrence Central;7:30 p.m.

Nov. 28;at Hamilton Heights;7:30 p.m.

Dec. 1;at Decatur Central;7:30 p.m.

Dec. 5;Fishers;7:30 p.m.

Dec. 11;Pendleton Heights ©;7:30 p.m.

Dec. 18;at Shelbyville ©;7:30 p.m.

Dec. 19;at Southport;7:30 p.m.

Dec. 23;New Castle ©;7:30 p.m.

Jan. 5;Westfield;7:30 p.m.

Jan. 8;Greenfield-Central ©;7:30 p.m.

Jan. 9;at Whiteland;7:30 p.m.

Jan. 15;Avon;7:30 p.m.

Jan. 23;at Hamilton Southeastern;7:30 p.m.

Jan. 29;Connersville;7:30 p.m.

Jan. 30;at Delta ©;7:30 p.m.

Feb. 6;at Noblesville;1:30 p.m.

Feb. 9;at Mooresville;7:30 p.m.

Feb. 12;at Brebeuf Jesuit;7:30 p.m.

Feb. 13;Beech Grove;7:30 p.m.

Feb. 19;at New Palestine ©;7:30 p.m.

Feb. 20;Greenwood;7:30 p.m.

Feb. 26;Yorktown ©;7:30 p.m.

© HOOSIER HERITAGE CONFERENCE GAME

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